Attempts by the Welsh Health Minister to acquire powers over the licensing of alcohol have been swiftly rebuffed by Welsh Office Minister.
Edwina Hart was planning to ask for the powers to be handed to the Assembly Government even though it was not mentioned in the Welsh Government’s legislative programme for the year ahead.
If the bid had been successful then Wales could have gone it alone on contentious social issues such as alcohol pricing and licensing hours.
But Wales Office Minister David Jones has intervened to rule out such a transfer of powers:
He said: “The [Westminster] coalition Government’s programme makes clear our determination to overhaul the 24-hour licensing and tackle alcohol-fuelled crime and we are currently consulting on a range of measures to take this forward.
“It is essential that there is a joined up approach to tackle these serious issues in England and Wales.
“We will continue to work with the Welsh Assembly Government as proposals are developed, however there are no plans to devolve alcohol licensing to Wales.”
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